John b



(No Model.)

' J. B. ARCHER.

STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

N0. 380,307; $atentedApr. s, 1888.-

N. PETERS, PMlu-Lilimgnpkwn Washingtcn, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,307, dated April 3, 1888.

Application filed November 6, 1886. Serial No. 219,170. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. ARCHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway and Street-Oar Station Indicators and Annunciators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a railway and streetcar station indicator and annunciator, and has for its object to effect a display of the names of the several stations upon opposite sides of the case or cylinder and announce such display by the sound of a gong connected therewith, and wherein the mechanism used in connection therewith may be of the simplest character, yet durable and effective.

The invention consists-in the construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth',and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a transverse vertical section of my device, and Fig. 2 a side elevation partly sectional. Fig. 3 is an end view thereof, and Figs. 4 and 5 detail views of the gong and its operative parts.

In the construction of my station-indicator I employ a casing or cylinder, A, having central longitudinal apertures, a a, located in opposite sides thereof. Within the said casing I journal in the upper and lower diagonal corners carrying-rollers B B, which may be con structed of any light material,, preferably made hollow, as shown, the said two rollers B B being so arranged with relation to each other that the upper side surface of the one will bear, or nearly so, upon the under side surface of the other at a central point, I), as illustrated in Fig. 1. In the opposing diagonal corners, also within the casing, flanged take-up rollers C O are journaled,governed by a suitable spring, all, so as to exert a continual tensile strain upon the indicating-band D,attached thereto at the ends. The said indicating-band D is provided with the names of stations, printed, painted, or otherwise marked thereon at proper intervals upon both sides, so that the same station will register with the opposite apertures a. c at each revolution of the carrying-rollers B B, as shown in Fig. 1, wherein it will be seen that the indicatingband D, secured at one end to the take-up roller 0, is made to pass, with one side facing the aperture 0,, around the under side of the lower carrying-roller B,and between it and the upper corresponding roller,B,where a contact may or may not be had, as desired, then up around the top of the said upper roller, B, down past the other aperture, a, to a connection with the lower take-up roller, 0. It will thus be observed that what constitutes the face of the band when opposite the aperture c is made the back thereof when opposite the aperture a, and vice versa when the direction is reversed. At each aperture, however, the same station will be indicated upon the band.

The shafts of the carrying-rollers B B are made to projectthrough one end of the casing, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each having keyed thereon a ratchet, E E, the shaft of thelower carrying-roller, B, having also pivoted centrally thereon above the ratchet E a lever, F, whose upper end is provided with apertures 1 and 2, and whose lower end, which is made to project below the casing, is provided with similar apertures, 3 and *1. Io the under side of the said lever F,a distance below the upper end, I pivot a pawl, e, having a spring, 6*, bearing upon its face, so that the said pawl will be in engagementwith the ratchet E. By the same pivoted bolt- I attach to the said lever F, between it and the pawl, one end of a connecting-rod f, which at its other end is pivoted to a second lever, F, whose other end is pivoted to the projecting shaft of the upper carrying-roller, B, and at the pivoted connection of the lever F and connecting-rodf, below the same, and by the one pivoted bolt, I connect a pawl, 6, controlled by a spring, e so as to engage the ratchet E of the said upper carrying-roller, B. The lever F is held to the casing A by a spiral or coil spring, G, which is attached normally in a vertical posi tion to the said casing near the top at one end and at the other to the said lever below its upper end. Immediately below and to one side of the ratchet E, and above to one side of the ratchet E, in front of their respective pawls e and e, I secure to the casing semicircular pivoted guides h and it to operate the said pawls, as will be hereinafter set forth, and also to the casing at the outer side of theleverratchet E, I secure a stop, H, purposed to limit the throw of the operating-lever F.

To the under side of the casing I attach an ordinary gong, K, and attach the sounder k by a spring-wire to a lever, 7c, pivoted in hearings on said casing, which lever is provided upon its upper side near one end with a stop, If, which stop, when said lever is operated, striking; a plate, upon the casing, causes the sounder to spring up, strike the gong, and again return to its normal position. The gong-lever 7c is usually tripped by a pin, an, attached at the lower under side of the lever F, engaging spring-actuated pawls m upon the outer end of said gong-lever k, as shown, Figs. 2 and As the lever is tripped, the pin m engages the rear of the spring-actuated pawl m, and, passing the point thereof, again assumes a central position between them for the next stroke.

In operating my device, which is usually suspended about centrally the car from the ceiling thereof, so that the apertures may be seen from each end, a rope, N, is attached byv means of spring-clips to lower apertures, 3 and 4, of the lever F and carried through each end of the car. Upon leaving the station already indicated the rope leading to the rear end of each car is drawn by the brakeman or other authorized party stationed there, which carries the lever F against the stop H and causes the pawl e to carry the ratchet E one notch around, turning thereby the roller 13. The pawl e meanwhile, by the action of the connecting-rodf and lever F, is made to engage the guide h, and be thereby lifted out of connection with the ratchet E, thus allowing the band D to uucoil from the take-up roller 0 and register the next station opposite the apertures a a, the lower take-up roller, 0, simultaneously taking up the slack of the said band as fast as produced. The cord is then released and the parts are returned by the spring G to their normal position, as shown in position-lines, Fig. 3, the gong having been sounded by the action of the pin in upon the lever F, as heretofore stated. Thus it will be seen that a perfect and constant tension is always had upon the band D. Consequently buckling or wrinkling is avoided, while all the parts, working in perfect unison, obviate .any disarrangement, while the simplicity and strength of the construction render breakage of the parts very remote.

Upon the back trip the opposite rope to the one above mentioned is employed, achange only being made in the last car as follows: In attaching the ropes to the indicator in the last car to obviate the necessity of stationing a man upon the rear platform and allow the brakenian upon the rear platform of the car in front thereof to operate the said indicator, the forward rope, when the train is moving, as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3, is unfastened from the aperture 4. and clipped in the upper aperture 1, so that the lever F' may operate in the same direction as in the other cars, and in reversing the rope 1S unclipped from aperture 3 and clipped in aperture 2. It

will thus be seen that upon the return trip there is no change to be made except in the last car, which is effected in a moment. It will also be observed that the couplings may be so made that all the indicators on a train may be operated by the engineer from the engine or by the conductor from any end car.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a station indicator and annunciator, a casing provided with apertures in its opposite faces, and having independent spring take-up and feed rollers pivoted therein, and a band passing over said rollers under a constant tension, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A station indicator and annunciator consisting of a casing provided with aperturesin the opposite faces thereof, and having independent spring take-up and feed rollers piv oted therein, a band passing over the said rollers under a constant'tension and having stations marked upon both sides, and a gong attached to the said casing and operated by the mechanism that imparts motion to the said band, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a station indicator and annunciator, a casing provided with apertures in its opposite faces, and having journaled therein independent spring take-up and carrying-rollers, over which a band passes at a constant tension, and provided at one end with ratchetwheels, the levers provided with pawls, whereby the said ratehetwheels may be turned, and a gong adapted to be operated simultaneously with the movement of the said carrying-rollers, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination of the casing A, carrying a gong, K, constructed as herein described, having journaled therein the spring take-up rollers O O and the carrying-rollers B B, and provided at one end with astop, H, and fixed guides h h, ratchets E E, thespringactuated levers F, the connecting-barf, lever F, and spring-actuated pawls e e, together with the rope N, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a station-indicator, the combination of a gong, K, and a lever, F, having a pin, m, adapted to engage spring-actuated pawls m upon one end of a lever, is, the opposite end thereof being provided with a sounder, whereby the said gong is sounded, substantially as and for the purpose described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 3d day of November, A. D. 1886.

JOHN B. ARCHER.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. MORRISON, O. S. WHITMAN. 

